A Masquerade Christmas

I love masquerade parties. A company came to me with some great ideas and the budget to make it a reality. They had hired out the dungeon of a castle for their event and every room was to have a different colour scheme and different designs.

At the entry we created some masquerade twisted towers.












The red room was to have funky top centrepieces.















The black room was to feature lots and lots of feathers.










...even on the floor bunches



















The blue room saw some topiary trees with feather highlights - add lots of blue lighting for effect.

















To finish the whole thing off we did some floor to ceilig columns. And of course all the designs had co-ordinating masks on them and lots of lights in the balloons.

An Evening with the Stars

The one thing I am quite proud of is the fact that over the years MAD Ballons has built a very loyal customer base. We do two functions a year for this client, and their Christmas party is always the highlight. This years theme was an evening with the stars - colours red, black and gold.
The only thing with loyal customers is that we need to give them something different for each of their events, and this event was no exception.


First up you need a grand entrance if there are going to be "stars" at the party. Each group of "stars" had their photos taken on the red carpet as they arrived, and our ballon rails were the perfect backdrop.

I LOVE the Masterbow Maker, and I got to have some serious fun for this years centrepieces. My deluxe masterbows are mounted on cakeboards and we add in lots of accessories for huge visual impact and interest. Each table had a number of these, depending on how big each group was.

We added 20" gold stars to each masterbow centrepiece and put the table numbers on the stars. This made it quick and easy for the guests to locate their tables. The red and gold boxes were personalised with their names, so they really felt like stars.

Once the formalities were done it was 'to the dancefloor' to bop the night away. "Dancing with the stars" ...sorry, bad pun.

"Take Flight"....into a new office space

I was called in to Microsoft to assist in the launch of their new offices and workspaces. Encouraging innovation in their staff they wantd them to 'take flight', and what better way to illustrate this theme than with balloons.



Using a number of sizes, from 16", 24" and 3' balloons, we set about the task. Also wanting their staff to bend their minds Microsoft required some "balloon bending".
I was having fun with this one. We used some 5.5' balloons for this purpose.



Then to the cafe area for some ceiling work. Not able to create the balloons in midair, we created an illusion of the ballons magically hanging up in the ceiling (no hooks and no helium involved here) to create a bit of a random, think outside the square and go with the flow effect.

You get a better idea of the cafe look from this picture. Taking flight and ideas cascading all over the place.

This is the only office photo that I can use here. Security. We had large 3' balloons placed through the offices as well as 250 of the yellow 15" single bubbles distributed to the workstations (not able to take photos of the workstations).
The installation was required to last for 2 weeks. No problems. I used Ultra Hi Float and most of it lasted three weeks.

Harry Potter Premiere

Midnight, 18th November and the much anticipated Harry Potter Deathly Hallows (pt 1) was released. For the Premiere event we were asked by Events Cinema's at Castle Towers to dress their cinema and also Gold Class for the event.



What better way to greet the many witches and wizards than an 11 metre Nagini (Voldemorts snake). Tickets could only be purchased once you passed underneath his watchful eyes. Careful now.

The event was absolutely huge. The cinema didn't want the Nagini's in place too early. As a result, some of the die hard Potter fans started arriving just as we were finishing off.

As you can see the Gold Class had cauldrons, brooms and even a polyjuice potion cocktail, especially devised for the event.

The cinema did a great job with their decor and the Nagini slithering above their guests was the finishing touch....and of course the local Harry Potter fans.

Many thanks to my friend and colleague John Martin from Balloons Funtastic in NZ, for giving me his "eel" design for this event.

I need an entry to WOW the audience!

The rock band Good Charlotte came to Sydney last November for one concert at Luna Park in the Big Top. The entry of the Big Top is a bit 'industrial' looking, so the client wanted to transform it to a WOW area. As well as transforming ugly to WOW, the client wanted to create a physical barrier to keep the audience away from the sound box and other AV and lighting equipment that was up the back.



The budget was not excessive, but we were able to create the WOW they were after using the fantastic 40" starpoints. We linked these together to create two 16 metre walls that fitted perfectly from floor to ceiling. It created the physical barrier as well as the WOW that was required.

The client was ecstatic with the finished product and the fact that we were on budget. She had looked at a number of other options but most were outside her strict budget.
As they say on the A-Team "I love it when a plan comes together!"

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Welcome to 2011. Yes, there is a pulse and the blog still shows signs of life. I apologise that I have been off the air for so long. We have been extremely busy over the silly season, and are now enjoyng a short break. However, I thought I had better show you the proof of our MAD-ness in the last few months.

So....... have you ever wondered what almost 2,000 balloons looks like on level 36 of the Shangri-La in Sydney? Well, here it is. As yu can see it pretty much fills the space. Between this and the other two levels we completely decorated the team was glad when it was over.





Now much as I would like to say that the patrons were paying serious dollars to come and see our fabulous balloons, I think the view may have something to do with it. It is the best view of the world's largest NYE fireworks display in Australia's biggest city

"Amazing" New Zealand

In August I had the great privilege of taking my Best of World Balloon Convention class to New Zealand. While I was there they gave me a new name. No longer am I MAD Dave Taylor, but check out the sign - The Amazing Dave Taylor! It works for me!

Auckland was first stop and our 30 class attendees did not quite fit in the photo. Such is life!

My teaching style is slightly different to others. I have attended many classes over the years and nothing is more boring that someone standing up the front talking all day. So in my class there is lots of hands on, so no-one has the opportunity to start snoring.......

Please make sure you smile when you are helping me with the demo, because you might end up on my blog....

And by the end of the day we ended up with all sots of great ideas. The taper daisy, that I am holding, the winnie-the-pooh bubble towers, the taper columns at the very bottom, and much more.

Here are the Christchurch balloonies. These are the tough ones that braved the freezing temperatures to get to class, so well done I say. A fun day was had by all.

Thankyou to all my New Zealand friends - both new and old - for making my trip such a memorable one. You guys are all great!

love your work!

Footy Finals - Wests Tigers

The footy finals are long gone now, and no the Wests Tigers did not feature in the Grand Final. However when it was still up in the air we were called in to decorate Wests Ashfield Leagues Club. On Monday the client walked us through the club and outlined their desires.

We we asked to install on the Tuesday......!

WestsTigers is a joint venture club so everything had to be split down the middle - black and orange for Tigers and black and white for Wests.

So we burnt the midnight oil and came up with the following designs to fulfil the client needs.

1)An entry piece that will wow everyone as they enter the club!

2)The Sports Bar was very bland so we gave it a bit of a lift

3)The escalators leading up to the lounge. Lots of garland was the answer and it fitted perfectly in the cavity beside the lifts.

4)Finally, the restaurant. "We want a big arch and something else around the place."

Large Topiary Balls - big impact, but high enough to be out of harms way, and will definitely go the distance.

The client was very happy, as were the thousands of fans who turned up to the club to watch the final. Unfortunately the result did not go their way, but the club was happy, as everyone hung around the enjoy the fantastic atmosphere created by the balloons.

Yes, we also decorate parties at home!

Hi David,

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to you and your staff for doing such an amazing job on Saturday.The balloon artwork looked absolutely fantastic and really helped to give a bit of class to otherwisewhat would have been just a 'backyard job'!

The marquee looked absolutely stunning when it was all finally set up with the tables etc and reallymade an impact when guests arrived and walked through the marquee. The choice of balloon colours was perfect for the theme of rock and roll and eveyone commented on how great the decorations looked!Nothing popped, blew away or disappeared during the night and Tom's 50th Megaloons and name was perfectly placed behind him when he got to cut his cake.

Thank you Daivd and thank your lovely staff for your professional, efficient and beautiful work. It really made a difference to how it all looked in the end.I wouldn't hesitate recommending or using your service again in the future.

Kind Regards

Margaret Schembri

BASA Qld - WBC & modern aviation issues....

I was invited up to Brisbane by BASA QLD to present my last Best of WBC for 2010! It was part of the 2 day training and also included presentations to the new CBA's. I was due to arrive in Brisbane at 3.3pm, ready for the presentations at 7pm. Thanks to the miracles of modern aviation, I did not arrive in Brisbane until 7.30pm, and was informed that my bag (along with about 70 others) was still in Sydney.

I finally made it to the hotel at 8.30pm, and everyone was very good about it, and very accommodating under the circumstances. It reminded me of a lady by the name of Bonnie Thurber - a Stampin' Up creative genius who arrived in Melbourne for regionals in 2009, to be told her bags were still on their way. She rose to the occasion in magnificent style. This video is a tribute to Bonnie. Thanks for the inspiration!

Certified Balloon Artist

Certified Balloon Artist (CBA) is the only internationally recognised accreditation within the balloon industry. It is the benchmark of industry professionals, and customers should be ensuring the company supplying the balloon decor for their event has CBA's on staff.

The reason you, the customer, should do this is because it takes a considerable effort to attain your CBA. The process is as follows.

Firstly you need to join the Qualatex Balloon Network and purchase the three kits. The topics are Balloon Basics kit, Balloon Deliveries & Bouquets kit and Balloon Decor kit. Each kit contains an extensive DVD with demonstrations and information of that topic. Once you have watched the DVD you must complete the online test and submit it for a Qualatex Education Officer to mark. Once you pass all tests with 80% or more you are eligible to sit the 4 hour practical test.

The 4 hour practical test includes replicating a design, submitting two of your original designs, constructing a column and more. During that 4 hour practical test each person will have to face a panel of CBA's who will ask a number of questions that include colour theory, design, business principles and safety. Again the person must get above 80% to be awarded their CBA.

Last week I was in New Zealand to test a number of balloon professionals that had completed their online tests, and were ready for their practical tests. 13 people took the tests (in Auckland and Christchurch) and New Zealand now has 12 new CBA's. One person was not awarded their CBA because their work was not up to the standard required. Below is a 'fly on the wall' experience of the CBA 4 hour practical test.

"Your 4 hours starts now!"

after 1 hour the designs are taking shape....

2.5 hours in and it is looking good....

"you have 20 minutes to go..."

The new (and relieved) CBA's in Christchurch!!

So, next time you are looking for balloon decor, make sure the company you use has CBA on staff. It indicates a level of professionalism and commitment to the balloon industry that you can rely on.

BASA Victoria - Best of WBC

In june I was fortunate to be invited to Victoria by the Balloon Artists & Suppliers Association to teach the Best of WBC Class. Whenever I go to Melbourne it rains, and it was good to see that the the weather was as good as ever.

25 brave and hardy souls ventured out into the elements, and made it to The Manningham for a fun filled day of balloons. One of those trusty souls was Raelene who attended WBC in Dallas earlier this year. As a WBC attendee she had the honour of modelling the beer mug....

The thing I really love about teaching is the fact that I learn so much from the group. I prepare a class, demonstrate the designs I have and then hopefully have enough time to let everybody loose. It was fantastic to see people using the ideas I presented and then taking them to another level. For example I demonstrated how to create a topiary ball inside a 24"deco bubble (yes, INSIDE a deco bubble...). Anyway one of the ladies then managed to replicate the topiary, added a stem and hey presto, she created a flower. Brilliant! It added a whole new dimension to that design. Unfortunately I don't have a pic of that, but here are a few snaps of other bits and pieces we did.

And at the end of the day, when everyone went home, with buckets of balloons and loads of new ideas, I immersed myself in this long cold one. It barely touched the sides, but was just want the doctor ordered.

Thanks BASA VIC. Love your work!

Go Socceroos

Alas, the Socceroos did not fare so well in the FIFA World Cup this time. 2010 was not to be our year. Only another four years to go. I am still involved in the sleepless nights as we head into the quarter finals shortly. At least I got to have some fun with the fantastic Qualatex Bubble Balloons. The soccer ball bubbles are featured here. Bigger and longer lasting tha your average foil balloon. It is also much rounder so it looks like a real soccerball.

Check this one out!

Better luck next time boys!!

Starpoints and Tapers

Before you ask, yes I am still here and still in business. It has been pretty crazy since I got back from World Balloon Convention, and unfortunately the Blog has been sadly neglected. However I am back on track.

So....... a fortnight ago we did a sensational job for Harley Davidson. They had a HOG (Harley Owners Group)convention with all the chapter big wigs and then a awesome party in the workshops to finish the event. Now workshops are pretty dull places, even with a couple of shining Harley's in them. So the brief was to dress the place up, fill the huge empty spaces and make sure you complement the chrome style of the bikes.

So we dressed the back of the stage....

And then had 6 huge taper topiary balls through the venue.

So do you think we did it?? The client was over the moon. Like the A-Team says "I love it when a plan comes together."